Japan and the Japanese

378 JAPAN. A. D. 1091 1C92.
served up, but in "poor and sorry" brown dishes, and the tea itself
proved to be little better than hot water. Fortunately the Dutch,
seldom caught napping upon that point, had provided themselves,
before leaving home in the morning, with " a good substantial
breakfast;" and, besides, they had been treated in the guard-room
with fresh manyes and with sweet brown cakes of sugar and bean
flour.
While they were eating this dinner, " so far from answering to
the majesty and magnificence of so powerful a monarch, that a worse
one could not have been had at any private man's house," several
young noblemen busied themselves in examining their hats, coats,
dress, &c. Dinner over, after half an hour in the waiting-room,
they were conducted, through passages and galleries which they did
not remember to have seen before, to the hall of audience, which, by
a change in the position of some of the screens, presented quite a
new appearance. They were put in the very same uncarpeted spot
as at their first audience, and were again called upon, as then, to
answer questions, dance, sing songs :ind exhibit themselves. Among
the persons called in were two physicians, with whom Kiimpfcr had
some professional conversation ; also several shaven priests, one of
whom had an ulcer on his shin, as to which Kiimpfer's opinion was
asked. As it was afresh sore, and the inflammation about it slight,
he judged it to be of no great consequence. At the same time he
advised the patient not to be too familiar with saki, pretending to
guess by his wound, what was obvious enough from his red face and
nose, that he was given to drinking,
a shrewd piece of profes-
sional stratagem, which occasioned much laughter at the patient's
expense.
" This farce over, a salver was brought in for each guest, on
which was placed the following Japanese dishes: ]. Two small,
hollow loaves, sprinkled with sesamum seeds. 2. A piece of white,
refined sugar, striped. 3. Five candied kernels of the kai tree,
not unlike almonds. 4. A flat slice of cake. 5. Two cakes, made
of flour and honey, shaped like a tunnel, brown, thick and some-
what tough. G. Two slices of a dark reddish and brittle cake,
made of bean flour and sugar. 7. Two slices of a rice flour cake,
yellow and tough. 8. Two slices of another cake or pie, of which
the inside seemed to be of quite a different substance from the crust